that. She turned to look at him, her eyes glowing. “That trait and the firestorm meant I got to know him. His power as an ice dragon meant that the sliver of ice in my heart melted and I began to heal. By the time the Dark Queen broke her bargain with me, tricking me into eternal service by killing Hadrian herself, I knew I’d never be free of her.”
“You could stop doing her will.”
“I could, but she threatened to roast and eat my brothers if I don’t comply. She holds three of them captive now and I hope they’re all still alive.”
There was a gasp of horror at this.
Rania shook her head. “Instead, I want to change the rules. I want to invade Fae and break my brothers free. I want to turn the tables on the Dark Queen, allied with Hadrian, and I need your help to do that.”
A protest rose immediately, but Rania held up her hand for silence. She addressed Caleb. “You’re right that dragons change the rules. You should know that Hadrian, because he’s an ice dragon, not only had the power to thaw my heart but he can melt and destroy the Fae blades that allow them to move between realms.” She paused, then continued. “He even melted the replacement splinter of ice that Maeve sent for me. She thinks it’s in my heart.”
A murmur of excitement passed through the room, and Hadrian knew he wasn’t the only one who believed this could contribute to their success.
“But any Other who enters Fae could be killed,” Murray protested. “We all know we’re on her list.”
“But what about those who are allied with us who aren’t Others?” the bartender asked. She gestured to the group of women seated with Arach and Wynter Olson. “What about mates?”
A woman in that group, one with long dark hair and two young sons, stood up. “We would need to know the risks,” she said and her companions nodded. “We would need to know the plan, and we would need to know that we could trust whoever led us.” She gestured to Rania and spoke coldly. “I saw your kiss of death once. It was effective, I’ll give you that.”
“It is the Dark Queen’s tool and it is relentless,” Rania acknowledged. “It worked twelve times, but not the thirteenth, and now no one has the power to give it again except the Dark Queen herself.”
There was chatter at that, then Murray called for order. “So, what’s the plan?” he demanded. “And what do you want us to do?”
The vampires appeared then, stepping out of the shadows as if they’d always been there. Hadrian knew they hadn’t been. Micah led them, carrying something shrouded in a dark cloth. He placed it on the bar and retreated. Hadrian guessed it was Sebastian’s Fae sword and kept his distance. He didn’t want it to melt before they used it. Sylvia watched intently as if she knew what it was, as well, and a faint silver glow came through the cloth.
“You want to know the plan. It’s fairly simple.” Rania nodded briskly. “Hadrian is going to invade the armory and melt the Fae stock of weapons. I’m going to pretend to still be on the Dark Queen’s side, and take a volunteer from the Pyr to her, supposedly to be slaughtered in front of her. Actually, we’ll be creating a distraction, both for Hadrian and for another volunteer who will steal the gem of the hoard.”
Pandemonium erupted then, protests coming from all sides about the strength of the Fae defenses of their treasury, the extent of Maeve’s malice and the potential price of willingly entering the realm of Fae. There were comments about the untrustworthiness of a known assassin and accusations of manipulation. Rania stood in silence, her head high, and listened. When the furor died a bit, she produced the bichuwa and set it on the bar.
Silence ensued.
“Djinns make the best thieves,” she said quietly, then pivoted to look at the two tables they occupied. At least four djinns turned immediately to smoke to avoid being chosen. “We are talking about taking down the Dark Queen forever.”
The tension in the bar could have been cut with a knife. Rania had thrown down one of her challenges and Hadrian hoped someone would take it. He was aware of all the sidelong glances and the uncertainty, then a dark-haired woman stepped forward. She seemed to walk out of a ribbon of smoke, becoming more substantial with